U.S. Pat. No. 6,778,883 discloses a method for controlling the drive unit of a vehicle. At least one output quantity of the drive unit is adjusted in dependence upon desired value input quantities. To make an adjustment, one of the desired value input quantities is applied which is selected from the received desired value input quantities. In addition to the desired value input quantities, characteristic quantities are received which describe the type of adjustment of the desired value input quantities. To control the drive unit, these characteristic quantities are selected independently of the desired value inputs. The characteristic quantities include dynamic requests and priorities.
A method and an arrangement for controlling the torque of the drive unit of a vehicle are known from German patent publication 197 39 567. In this method and arrangement, a desired torque value for adjusting the charge is formed from several desired values and at least one desired torque value for adjusting power parameters of an internal combustion engine, which effect a rapid torque change, is formed from several desired values. The two desired torque values are different and the formation of these desired torque values is based on at least one different and/or corrected desired value.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,669 discloses a method wherein coordinators are pregiven for a vehicle and these coordinators undertake the resource requirement and the resource distribution of the control systems of the vehicle, inter alia, on the basis of received peripheral conditions such as a desired dynamic or priority.
In engine controls for commercial vehicles, requirements of external control apparatus with respect to engine torque or the desired rpm must be considered in various applications. The different applications having a variable type and number of requests should be mastered with an engine control software so that the engine control, without changes, can coordinate and realize all requests of the external control apparatus together. For this purpose, standard formats for torque desired values and rpm desired values are defined in SAE J 1939-71 and standard limits as well as priorities are defined in four ratings for their coordination. A selection logic is given for the evaluation of the requests while considering the priority. The present requests are sequentially reduced by comparison to a resulting request. In each comparison, that desired value is selected having the greater priority. With like priorities, the more actual desired value is selected. The lower limit is selected for limitations of equal priority.